This season, the NRL played host to a finals series full of strong teams, so strong that the Canberra Raiders, in eighth place, beat serial winners Melbourne Storm in fifth.
This quality level will make it hard for any of the bottom eight sides to change their fortunes next season, but three stand out as the most likely to take advantage should any incumbents falter.
We saw plenty of shuffling of the ladder throughout the 2022 campaign, with surprise packets a plenty in the top eight and disappointments outside of it, making the 2023 season an intriguing one to build into.
Sides will be looking to restore their dominance, while others could well be struggling to hang onto the level they displayed throughout 2022.
But when it comes to sides who could crack the top eight, here is a breakdown of the three main combatants.
Brisbane Broncos
The fact the Broncos missed the 2022 finals series is still quite baffling when recalling they were fourth at the end of Round 19 before losing five of their last six games and finishing ninth.
However, the stat that really matters is that they were the first team since 1999 to miss out on the finals with a winning record, which shows just how close they are to playing the finals.
Dropping out in that manner shocked players, fans, and coaches alike, but that will only drive them on more to achieve redemption. The key will be keeping Adam Reynolds fit, which is already off to a bad start after he suffered a minor ankle injury in training, but at this stage, he should play round one.
When he's back fit, they may have to manage his workload, maybe even rest the 32-year-old star in certain games they feel are winnable without him throughout the season. Whatever way they do it, he's a must, as is keeping their young guns in good form on the outside.
Furthermore, while their run home was tough, they also suffered losses to the Tigers and Dragons in that six-game span, so focus too will be necessary. They can't afford to lose games like that, especially in such a crucial stage of the season against the wooden spooners. So clear all that up, and the top eight may well beckon them back for the first time since 2019.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
No side is as intriguing as the Bulldogs coming into the 2023 season. In 2022 they showed signs that their rebuild is working, but the poor form of Matt Dufty at fullback, his eventual departure and the form of a handful of other key players did hamper them, and ultimately they had to settle for 12th place.
In many ways, however, 2022 left all the big changes yet to come. Cameron Ciraldo, one of the best assistant coaches in the league, is making the jump from Penrith to Bankstown and most are already assured he'll be a success in the top job.
Two new major recruits on the player front also join him in Reed Mahoney and Viliame Kikau.
With that trio alone adding to their already quickly improving squad and staff, 2023 may see the Bulldogs make the top eight for the first time since 2016.
That's not to mention the host of other signings they've made, including promising up-and-comers Franklin Pele and Hayze Perham.
It may take time to click, but if it does, and Matt Burton continues on his current trajectory, then Bulldogs fans might be in for their most exciting season in quite some time.
Manly Sea Eagles
The story of the Sea Eagles is even more dramatic than that of the Broncos; it's the story of a team defying the odds only to tear itself apart at a critical moment.
To set the scene, between rounds four and nine and 11 through the rest of the season, Manly were without their talisman Tom Trbojevic, the man many believe to be the best player in the world when he stays fit. But despite that, they sat in ninth place through 19 rounds and were preparing to face the team in eighth next, the Sydney Roosters.
On paper, it looked like a blockbuster match. Two popular sides vying for a spot in the top eight, both capable of winning and Manly with the all-important home-ground advantage. But then the most dramatic moment of the 2022 NRL season occurred when Manly announced they would be wearing a rainbow pride jersey in the fixture, and seven players refused to play.
The Roosters won the game without getting out of second gear, and the fractured Manly team would see out the season without winning another game, ultimately dropping to 11th. Two things need to happen in Manly for them to return to the top eight. First, hope that Turbo stays fit; second, new coach Anthony Seibold needs to find a way to reunify his squad and get them focusing on footy again.
If Seibold can do this, the side has plenty of quality to complement their star fullback, especially in the form of Reuben Garrick and Daly Cherry-Evans.
Keeping those combinations together is the only way they'll be able to improve upon their single win against top eight teams in 2022.
